Our Modular Dice Tumblers add fun and flair to any tabletop game! Follow me along my journey of creating a fully painted and stained Modular Dice Tumbler Tower. I will be painting: Bones, Shame, Plinko, Stairs, Ramp, and Gears over the next couple of weeks. The final result will be a tower painted with quirky colors and funky themes, that is sure to send any dice through an epic tumble. Take your gaming experience to the next level with our Modular Dice Tumblers and a little paint.

In this How-To I will layout the steps I took to paint the Bones Modular Dice Tumbler (DIT007). I decided to place my skeleton in a chamber of green gas that he won't escape, so the only question is, will your dice?

Supplies:

Acrylic paint in varying colors. I personally like to mix my own colors, so I always pick up my primaries in large tubes. Phthalo Blue, Primary Red, Cadmium Yellow Light Hue, Titanium White, and Ivory Black are all good base colors to have in order to mix every color under the sun! If you would rather buy specific colors/hues, that is fine too! 

Paintbrushes in different sizes. For this specific tumbler, I needed a medium flat brush to paint surface colors, a sponge brush to add texture, and a detail round brush.

Stain. I picked up a small can of Varathane in Dark Walnut. 1 qt. is plenty and will last me throughout this "Fully Painted Dice Tower" journey. You will also need a piece of scrap cloth to apply the stain.

Step 1:

Grab your tube of white paint and pour a generous amount onto your palette, mix with a little bit of water to thin the paint out. Paint all bone pieces white (both sides and all edges). I did two coats of Titanium White.

Tip: Try not to paint the joints too thick, it will cause trouble when putting the final pieces together.

Step 2:

Tape around the hands on the front piece and paint those white as well. The rest of this piece will be  painted and stained a different color later so don’t paint the edges or the bottom. Once dry, you can remove the tape around the hands in preparation for upcoming steps.

Step 3:

Using a small pointed brush, paint fine details on the bones with black acrylic paint. When you are done painting the fine details, sweep around the edges with a flat dry brush to cause a shadowy/distressed effect. 

Tip: Don’t use too much paint! I like to dip the brush and then rub some of the paint off on a paper towel to ensure that the application will be light and feathery. Don't forget to add these fine details to every white bone piece, including the hands and the rib cage.

Step 4:

Pick a few different colors for the background. I wanted my skeleton to be housed in a gas chamber so I chose Dark Green, Light Green, and Yellow. I mixed my three small pools of each color next to each other, then sponged on all three colors at the same time. You can also use a crumpled up paper towel if you do not have a sponge brush. Make sure to also paint the front piece directly under the hands, but leave the border untouched! 

Tip: I wouldn’t choose more than three colors if you are using this technique. If you want to use more than three colors, sponge on a light coat of each color separately and let them dry between applications; this will prevent colors from blending into one. 

Step 5:

Stain the outside housing all one color using a cloth rag. Don't forget to stain the remaining border on the front piece as well.

.. 

Assemble!

Let everything dry and then assemble per instructions. Make sure to use a  rubber mallet and wood glue.